Bulletproof
by Sedaytion
Summary: Nirvana made a new family, consisting of three U.R.T.V's but little did she know how troublesome their family affairs could become.
1. Our Friendship Foundation

**|| . [Bulletproof] . ||**

**Comments:** very old fic I figured I'd re-upload rather then let it gather dust on the computer XD the poor unwanted words Dx

_Just a simple touch: just a simple glance, makes me feel like flying. But where are you tonight? Something isn't right. Can you please stop hiding…?_

_I am trying not to think about,_

_All the things you did before,_

_But sometimes it all just gets to me: I can't fake it anymore. I'll stay with you, but remember; be careful what you do._

_Cause I'm not bulletproof._

**| Chapter [One] |**

**Our Friendship Foundation**

"_Just a spoonful!" the pleading girl playfully begged._

"_Why can't you get any from your Uncle?" he asked._

"_He's a health freak," she sighed deeply._

"_You should still try asking him for some. She might say yes."_

"_She can't leave the Institute for another week. Oh come on, I've got an urge for something sugary. Please, pretty please, come on! Please, please, please, with a cherry on the top?"_

"_I'm going to get into trouble for this …"_

"_Heeheehee …"_

"_You're finding it funny?"_

"_No, I'm finding it sweet."_

"_S-sweet? What is that supposed to mean?"_

"_Sweet. Like that treat your going to go fetch for me from the kitchen: sweet."_

"_Who said I would?"_

"_Well you practically for saying 'I'm going to get into trouble for this'. Come on, you can't tease a girl. You're too polite, too kind to do that.". _

Triumphant in success, she watched with bright yellow eyes, as the black headed boy made his way across the empty cafeteria. There were few people about, and after her constant pestering, she had finally gotten the goodie good, extremely kind, boy to fetch her ice cream from the back of the kitchen. Her heart was pounding excitedly against her ribcage, her blood dancing around in her veins. Looking down to the plate of food, that looked rather dismal to her bright eyes, she picked up her fork loosely between her finger and thumb. Light reflected off the silver sharply as she stabbed the food with the sharp ends of the cutlery, playing with the food she never ate. She sighed deeply; and now she could've been having a lovely, albeit too healthy, meal with her uncle, rather then eating (or trying to eat) the slug the boys were forced to eat, and had been forced to eat, every day of their young lives. She moved it from one side of her plate, to the other, and then the other again. Again, she breathed out a small sigh as she lifted her juice carton to her lips, taking the straw into her mouth. Looking through the corner of her eye, she could see the black headed boy skirting past a few other boys his size with blonde hair. Then, she watched as he quickly slid through a door, into the kitchen. She sucked up some of the orange juice, letting it swish around in her mouth, against her tongue. Swallowing it, she put the carton on the table, taking the straw out of her mouth.

Her eyes slowly moved foreword to the seat he had been in, opposite her. There was a small wet mark from where his damp sleeves had rested on the table, and the small, black, umbrella was resting by his nearly empty plate. Well, the remains of it, that was. As graceful as the girl was, she had managed to slip over during the downpour of the rain (that had yet still to cease), thus crashing his umbrella into the wall as she fell. Ignoring the searing pain that was running through her leg, all she could think about was the umbrella she had spectacularly broken.

"_I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, sorry. I'll get your dad to get you a new one; I'll apologize to him too."_

Now _all_ she _could_ think about was that _searing_ pain in her leg. Her eyes looked down to her thin, blue jean covered, legs. The left leg was in a state, the jean dyed red from her blood; the strong fabric sticking to her wound underneath it. Moving her hand down to her leg, she tugged at the fabric, unstitching it from her cut. _'That's the last time I go jumping in the puddles like a maniac.' _She told herself. She had rolled her jeans up to her knees, all to splash around in the grey puddles without getting her jeans wet, but she had managed to slip over, smashing her leg on the pavement. Him, being the kind soul he was, insisted on her going to the Doctor, yet she just denied and eventually, after a lot of "fiery talks" they had ended up in the Cafeteria, later then the rest of them. She rubbed the wet jeans and looked back up to the door he had slid through.

He wasn't back yet. Just in case he had gone a different way to their table, her eyes glanced around the cafeteria, which was lit by the horrible yellow bulbs going across the ceiling. She hated the cafeteria, especially when the outside was dark and gloomy. There were few windows as it was in there, without the sky being dark, thus making the people turn on more of those horribly common, bland yellow lights as an attempt to make an artificial sun. She didn't _like_ the fact he wasn't back yet. But there had been no yelling, so perhaps that was a good thing. Perhaps he was still in there, fetching the icecream for her.

God, she _prayed_ he was. She even found her fingers wrung around the silver cross that happily hung from a silver chain around her neck. Not that she was a religious girl one bit, but that piece of jewellery that was around her neck was _important _to her, not just because of the Religious aspect. Her slim, bright red tipped, fingers held tightly onto it as her yellow eyes watched carefully. She tried to avoid eye contact with those other boys she _hated_.

"Please stop glaring at them," the voice caused her to jump so quickly, she almost fell out of her seat. Her eyes widened as her hands shook, quickly retracting from the cross around her neck. Before she could take a second to look at who made her jump so wildly, she heard the clatter of a bowl being placed on the table, making her eyes look down.

And there, sitting by her plate, was the white bowl, filled to the rim with beautifully delicious, melt in your mouth, ice cream. Chocolate flavour too: her absolute favourite. Her eyes widened as she stared at the bowl, unable to find words. In the corner of her eye, she saw him sit down beside her; offering the silver spoon to her.

She blinked a few times, completely stunned. "Ah … you …"

"I said I would," he said, shaking the spoon he held. "Here."

With her slim fingers, she took the spoon, holding it delicately. She dug the metal into the soft ice cream, taking a little spoonful and sliding it into her mouth. She smiled as she ate the sweet treat, her tongue coiling around the spoon to collect as much as she could. Taking the spoon away, she smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you so much, Nigredo!" she smiled happily. He nodded.

"It's alright," he said, smiling himself. His emerald eyes gazed down at the ice cream and she couldn't help but laugh. Pushing the bowl foreword, she held the spoon out to him.

"Go on, try some," she said. "It's only fair, after all. You did get it," she noticed how his eyes were set on the spoon in her hand, as if it were a monster. She smirked. "Come on, you've known me for half a year, at least. I don't have cooties, NiNi."

'_Ah that name again …'_ he thought as he stared at the spoon, trying not to look into her unusual yellow eyes. He hadn't been given a nickname before, let alone from a girl. Hell, he didn't even _know_ any other girls (well apart from Citrine, but he couldn't really count her). Gulping, he tried his best to hold back a blush, as he slowly reached for the spoon. He didn't have a problem with 'cooties', he was too mature to even think of something like that. But it was always strange being with her. Everything was a bigger deal then it normally should be. He eased the spoon from her fingers, almost dropping it as she suddenly released her possession of it. He dipped the spoon into the icecream, tasting it on his tongue.

She smiled widely as he happily ate the ice cream, going in for another spoonful. Then another, and another, and another. Finally, he stopped: his eyes wide as he stared at her. "I'm sorry!" he gasped holding the spoon out to her. "Here, you have some more. I didn't mean to eat that much."

"NiNi, it's okay," she smirked, leaning back on her chair. "Eat it all. Seriously, I don't mind … but …"

She looked at the bowl, noticing he had brought a small, red cherry too. She dipped her finger into the cold treat, scooping up the bright red cherry and eating it. She spoke whilst the fruit was in her mouth. "I want this."

He smiled again, something that was quite rare unless in the presence of her or his brothers. He took another mouthful of ice cream, looking at her. "How's your leg?"

"S-," she stopped herself from speaking, and then quickly thought of something else. "So-so. It doesn't hurt anymore, it's all good, so don't worry about it, kay?" she smiled assuredly, not wanting Nigredo to worry. Otherwise then he'd end up blaming him, and she hated when he did that. Glancing back down at her leg, she saw the red liquid was getting deeper on her jeans. Yeah, she'd defiantly need to get a bandage wrapped around that, but it could wait. She was good at handling and hiding pain. Better then most people. As he finished off the rest of the icecream she wondered when she'd be able to get to the doctor, without Nigredo accidentally finding her. Yeah, she could get her Uncle to do it – sure that would be a wise idea. All she had to do was find him, which wouldn't be hard enough.

"Hey, give me the bowl," she gestured when he had finished with it. He pushed the bowl over to her, smiling contently from the treat. As she looked at the remains of the chocolate icecream, she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Why did she have to be so kind? At that moment in time she'd have loved to eat the icecream, but Nigredo had finished it off. Damn, that probably would have been her only chance to eat a delicious treat like that in a _long_ time and her horribly kind heart stopped her from enjoying it.

"Thank you, Nirvana," he smiled as he watched her scrap some of her dinner into the bowl, to cover up the fact it had once been filled with the sweet ice treat. "I'll get you some tomorrow, and you can eat it. You have to."

Nirvana silently danced in her head. A chance to eat the yummy treat! And this time she'd let her stomach win over her heart. Hell, she deserved it just as much as Nigredo deserved it (though probably not as much – before the days of being in the Institute she could eat it until her hearts content). Grabbing the plates, sliding Nigredo's under hers, she stood up to her feet only to cry out in pain, her knee collapsing underneath her.

Dropping the plates to the floor, she heard the porcelain smashed on the ground near her, but she couldn't care less. She had landed straight onto her knees, her head just avoiding a collision with the table by a mere inch. Landing on her knees had caused a small whimper, yet not a cry, to leave her lips. She tasted a bit of blood in her mouth from the pain as she shifted the weight of her knee, straightening her leg out. Nigredo had moved to her side, a hand on her arm to help pull her to her feet.

"Ah, I'm alright, really," she assured, using him to stand up to her feet properly. Finding her balance, she looked dismally down at the mess she had created, Nigredo's gaze following hers.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "The cleaners will clean it up, alright? Come on, I'll take you to the Doctor so you can have some Nano Technology on your wound."

"Just a bandage," she corrected, limping foreword a few steps to get away from his touch. She picked up her dark purple and black check jacket, wrapping it around her slim, almost frail looking body. Nigredo watched, knowing that her body was defiantly _not_ frail from the amounts of fights she had gotten in without loosing.

Nirvana zipped the jacket up, the loud noise of the teeth clipping together ran through his and her ears. She straightened her cloths, looking at her red jeans and sighing. "I hope this comes off in the wash."

"It comes off the U.R.T.V uniform," he said as he stood close to her, making sure she wouldn't fall as she limped out of the cafeteria.

Nirvana smiled faintly, brushing some of her slightly damp plum coloured hair behind her ear. "Don't tell me your turning into your father, Dmitri, and are gonna start trying to make me wear the uniform."

"Never," he gasped, looking at her with wide eyes. "I wasn't intending for that at all, Nirvana. I was just pointing it out – you seem to injure yourself quite a bit."

"Only when I act like a maniac," she pointed out, wrapping her jacket closer to her body as the doors opened, letting the cool, cold air brush against their bodies.

The rain pelted against their faces, signalling the sign of autumn. The trees were a rare shade of browns, reds, oranges and yellows as their leaves were pulled away from their week branches by the strong wind, leaving them to dance around the sky with the wind. Nirvana's hair had begun to curl from the rain, making it result to its natural, thick ringlet way. The sky was dark and grey, almost as if it were night, which would be approaching soon. It was half six in the evening, meaning the dark grey would soon be turning to a pure black shade, yet Nirvana wondered if the rain would hold up during the silent night or not. She hoped not: she loved walks in the rain, especially when it was night, where there was the sense of emptiness in the world as everyone slept. Well, almost everyone. There were always the odd couple of Institute guards, on the lookout for intruders or for wondering U.R.T.V's, who would soon be sent back to their sleeping quarters.

"Sorry about your umbrella again," Nirvana managed to shyly mumble. "I'll get dad to buy you a new one, okay?"

"He won't do that," Nigredo almost sadly mumbled as he looked up to the gloomy sky. They walked down the wet pathway, their feet splashing in a few large puddles that had been created. It had been raining like this for a week, and by the way some of the scientists were talking, it looked like it wasn't going to stop for a good while.

Nigredo hadn't noticed Nirvana leave his side as he walked, deep in thought. The thing that pulled him from his thoughts was the sound of the glass floor being trodden on by quick, yet careful feet. He turned his head, to see Nirvana crouching on the walkway that was just above the pond in the courtyard. He would've just carried on walking up the pathway if he hadn't heard her foot steps. Curiously, he watched her as she stared intently at the water just below her feet. She was getting wet, so was he, and that would never be a good thing, especially as she had a weaker immune system then him. Surely she'd get a cold if she spent too much time out in the rain.

"Hey, Nirv," he gently called, making her turn her head to him. "Come on, you're going to catch a cold if we stay out here too long."

"There are fishes," she said, returning her eyes to the small pond.

"There are what?" he repeated, walking over to her.

He had to stop himself from slipping over on the wet glass, causing her to smirk a little as she turned around, catching him tightly gripping the metal pole. "Shh," she whispered, nodding down. "You're going to scare them."

"Sorry," he mumbled, crouching down beside her. His emerald eyes looked at the dark water, trying to see fishes she was mentioning. It was dark, and the splashing of the raindrops wasn't helping his sight much either. But then his emerald eyes flashed with excitement as he saw a black figure, about five inches long, swim past, disappearing into the water.

"See? I told you!" Nirvana excitedly said, leaning closer to the water. Quickly, without reason, Nigredo grabbed her shoulders, holding her back.

"Don't lean too close," he ordered; his eyes serious. "You'll fall in their. Remember a few months back, Nirvana?"

She sighed, playfully glaring at him. "Don't mention that. It wasn't even _my_ fault! Albedo was the one who was chasing me. He said he had a _spider_," her eyes were o-so serious, as if Albedo had been chasing her with a mallet, threatening to kill her. But Nigredo could see through her little playful act and he couldn't help but laugh, unsure of whether it was because of her fooling around or because of the memory of her falling into the other pond running through his head.

"Alright, alright," he smiled, standing up. "Come one, we need to go inside now. You can look at the fish another day, when you don't have a chance of getting a cold or the flu."

Reluctantly, Nirvana stood to her feet, looking back down at the pond a final time. It had been … ages since she glanced at another creature that wasn't a bug or a human (or U.R.T.V for that matter). She caught up with Nigredo quickly, despite her damaged leg. He led her indoors, where it felt much better without the horrible cold weather, though she liked the rain. Once inside, she tore her damp jacket off her body, hating the damp clammy cloths against her soft, olive toned skin. She hung it on her arm as she looked at Nigredo, biting her lip gently as she began to speak.

"I think I'm going to dress my wound myself, in my room," she said, making his head turn to her, a little shocked. "I don't like Doctors, Nigredo, plus I'd rather not bump into any of the adults right now."

"But, are you sure?" he asked with concern in his voice. She nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, sure," she said. "Come on, you can even come to my room to make sure it's alright."

She saw his throat move as he gulped: a sudden wave of nerves over powering him. "Y-your room?"

"Yeah, not scared are you?" she smiled. "I've been in your room. Twice even."

"But …" he bit his lip, realizing how trapped in a corner he was, still he tried. "You only came there to get a _book_ and then a …"

He lost his words as he looked at her. She was pulling that usual cute, puppy eyed look she'd have given to him many times. Gently, she tilted her head to the side, as she watched him delicately, seeing his cheeks slowly begin to flush a bright shade of red. After a few moments of watching her, he gave up, turning his head quickly away and coughing into his hand.

"Alright, I will," he said, looking at her to make sure she had stopped pulling that face. To his relief she had, and she was smiling at him widely.

"Thanks, NiNi," she smiled happily.

* * *

><p>Her room was <em>not<em> how he imagined it. Instead of the usual uniformed rooms, with plain white painted walls, blue beds by the windows, and a desk and wardrobe opposite, her room was bright and colourful. The walls were painted a dark, hot pink shade, making the room look darker then it was. The light was a dull white, letting the pink shine through better. Pasted on the walls were tons of drawings, of animals, butterflies, houses and other things on the _outside_ world. Her bed spread was a white one, with spiralling abstract pink and purple patterns on it. There was a bunch of different sized pillows on the end of the extremely neat bed. The curtains were wide, letting her look out into the courtyard of the Institute from the second floor they were on. Her desk was covered in more drawings, art books and all sorts of coloured pens and pencils. Her wardrobe was an average, wooden one, and next to it was the door leading to the bathroom. Hanging on the door handle was a small plush lion, with a ribbon around its neck, holding it to the wooden handle. Nirvana casually threw her wet jacket onto the chair by her desk.

She turned around, to find Nigredo curiously staring at the pictures of the wall she had drawn with immense accuracy. She shuffled from one foot to another, feeling exposed as he stared at her art with such intensity. "I know I can't draw," she managed to say, her voice shy.

"No, you can draw," he whispered, taken back by her work. "They're beautiful."

Nirvana couldn't help but smirk. "If you keep staring at them like that, you'll be dragged into them."

"I wouldn't mind that," Nigredo sadly whispered, not intending for Nirvana to hear. She sighed as she looked at him, feeling sorry for him. He had never been outside these walls, never ever and it saddened her that he would never get to see the outside world.

She moved to her wardrobe, pulling out a pair of denim shorts, shutting the door she looked at Nigredo, who still stared at the pictures. She cleared her throat, in an attempt to get his attention. "Hey, Nigredo, I'm going to get changed, will you help me when I'm done?"

She saw him nod his jet black head, his soft locks moving slightly as he did so. She slipped into the bathroom, closing the door quickly behind her. She slipped her wet jeans off her body the second she could, reaching the white towel and taking it off the hanger. Sitting on the edge of the bath, she looked down at her leg. Her knee was completely drenched in the blood that had gotten thinner from the rain water. The skin was sore and red, not just from the blood. She wiped around the blood and cut with the towel, drying off her legs, before sliding her shorts over them. She was careful to not touch the wound as she did that. Her eyes looked foreword at her reflection in the mirror, and for a second she was mesmerized.

Nirvana was a petite girl, with a slim figure and stood at around 5"2, two inches shorter then her friend, Nigredo. Her hair was curly from the rain, slightly damp too and a beautiful plum colour, that would go into a purple-pink shade when it wasn't wet. Her fringe brushed across her forehead, almost covering her left eye. Her eyes were an unusual bright yellow shade, which gave her an almost eerie look she despised strongly. She was wearing a white shirt, with a smiley face on it and of course her denim shorts. Clearing her throat, she looked away from her reflection to the door.

"Nigredo," she called, looking down at her wound.

As she waited for him to come in, she reached for the first aid kit under her sink and began to wipe her wound clean with the towel. He knocked, and then opened the door, unsure of what to do with himself. He helped a little as she dressed her wound, once she had done they walked back into her room and he hovered around, again unsure what to do.

"Want me to tell you about the other world?" she asked, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. She set her yellow eyes on him, gesturing for him to sit down. Just as he awkwardly sat down beside her, she smiled widely, stretching her arms out in front of her.

She moved to the other end of the bed, so she could sit by the wall. She pointed to a picture she had drawn, of a windmill. It was a small, but detailed drawing. "Mama and me used to live in the countryside," she began. "Beautiful place, we even had a windmill. I used to climb to the very top, on the inside. It had all these turning wheels, like clockworks," she began to make circles in the air with her fingers eagerly. "I don't know whatever happened to my mother after I was six…" despite the fact her eyes had become glazed and emotionless, a laugh escaped her lips. "I don't really remember much after I was six 'till I came here…"

"That's …horrible … I'm sorry," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Nirvana shook her head.

"Don't worry about it," she said, forcing a smile. "At least I got to meet my mother. What about you? Have you met her yet?"

"N-no," Nigredo answered slowly, struggling to speak clearly, his eyes glazed as he stared down at the bed sheets. They were so weird, so comfy against his skin. He moved, to lean his back on the wall, the sheets still soothing against his skin. "I haven't, nor do I believe I will …"

"We'll find your mother one day, NiNi," Nirvana smiled, squeezing his hand gently. She leaned her back on the wall like he had done, leaning her head on the cold wall. She sighed deeply, feeling her eyes shutting, her mind drifting off into a deep slumber.

* * *

><p>The tapping on the window was getting harder and harder, pulling her from her deep sleep. Groggily, she moved a little, her eyes opening slowly. The light in her room was still on, her legs still spread out ahead of her and her back still against the wall, though her head was leaning on something different. She blinked a few times, moving her head slightly, only to have her eyes widened. She gasped, trying not to disturb his slumber. She had her head leaning against the sleeping Nigredo's shoulder: the both of them having their backs against the wall. She heard the creak of the door opening, making her lift her head up quickly, snapping it towards the person unwontedly entering her room. Her heart began to pound, her hands trembled a little and she worried whether it would be Albedo or Rubedo. If it were, they would have fun tomorrow teasing Nigredo and Nirvana about the little "situation" they had caught them in.<p>

But instead, a tall, muscular man entered the room. His hair was neatly trimmed, a shade of the night sky. He wore a black suit, making him look bland and boring. His skin shade was a direct copy of Nirvana's: a dark olive complexion. His eyes, a dark blue colour, looked at her and hers looked back. They exchanged glances for a few seconds, Nirvana feeling disgust for him wearing those contacts. She knew all too well the shade that hit beneath them: a bright yellow like her own. An L'Elfen family trait.

Silently, he gestured for her to come outside into the hallway with him. A quick glance at Nigredo showed he was still sleeping, and as gently as she could, she moved off the bed, hoping not to disturb him. She had an urge to lay him down, but she didn't want to think what would happen if he woke up. Though, he waking up wouldn't be that bad an idea. She didn't understand where she was meant to sleep now he was there, resting on her bed. It would be too _weird_ to purposely sleep beside him. Her Uncle looked at the bandage around her thin leg as she moved out into the cold hallway with him, hating the fact she was wearing just a shirt and shorts. Damn, the hallways at night had to have been colder then the outside.

Her uncle shut the door behind her, looking at her with concerned, but slightly angered eyes. "If Dmitri knows you were bonding with number 669 like that, he will be most displeased."

"Starters," Nirvana furiously glared at the man who was only linked to her because of their eye colour. "_He_ has a _name_ and it's _Nigredo_. And secondly, I wasn't bonding with him like _that_! He's my friend, that's all, Lucas."

"You shouldn't befriend a U.R.T.V," he said, rubbing his temple in frustration. Nirvana couldn't care less if she was frustrating Lucas or not, she continued.

"Who am I supposed to befriend then? The little lion you gave me?" she gritted her teeth. "Yeah, I'll do that. Befriend a lion, a lion that isn't even real, and then I'll get sent to a mental hospital. Or worse, to the Goddamn mental ward in the Institute. The reminds me, _Uncle,_" she spoke the word sourly. "How is number 333 doing? Did you _find_ her yet?"

"That's what I needed to speak to you about …" he began, looking awkwardly down to the floor.


	2. Ice Cold Look

**|| Chapter [Two] ||**

**Ice Cold Look**

She didn't know whether her arms were aching, or whether she was telling herself they were aching because they were meant to. Everything was a blur; her eyes blindfolded with a black piece of material and though her eyes were open, she was unable to be shown the world. Her arms were tied back behind her, straining her aching shoulders. She was sat down in a car that bounced every once in a while from something on the road. She could feel it moving at a fast speed, where she was going, who she was going with; she had no idea. Memories of the last few hours had disappeared straight from her head. She sat there, her throat too dry to speak, and her breathing was so fast she wouldn't be able to get a word through no matter how much she tried. Her palms were sweating, the parts of her legs that were bare were sticking to the seat of the car and she wished: she wished she could just get out. Something was most defiantly wrong, and no matter how much she squirmed or fidgeted, she was unable to pull away the rope holding her wrists together; keeping her arms behind her back. Feeling a bead of sweat run down her forehead, she clenched her fists.

"Are you alright?" a soft voice beside her asked gently. The voice was soothing, the person beside her seemed not to want to cause harm to her. The girl slowly nodded, feeling her hair move on her shoulders.

"We'll be there soon," he continued. She felt a hand on her arm. Instinctively, she tried to flinch away, but her arms were tied so close, so tight to her body she was unable to move properly. "This won't hurt a bit. I promise."

Before he even had to stick the needle into her vein, she knew what was coming. Gasping as the foreign object broke through her skin, she shivered violently. The liquid ran into her body, making her squirm. She shut her eyes tightly, feeling him pull the needle back out. His fingers wiped her skin; taking away water liquid had come out. Her heart pounded quickly, her hands trembled. What had they injected her with? What drug had they given her? Were these people there to harm her? Rape or kill her? Panicking, her breathing increased to a point she thought she was going to have an asthma attack. The man beside her must have thought the same as she felt his strong hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down," he told her. "You're not going to get hurt."

"I … don't like this …" a sweet feminine voice commented; her voice low yet heard. "Its … wrong. There's something wrong …"

"It's for the greater good, honey," the man said to the girl. "Do not think anything grim."

She felt his gaze on her red hot face. Her skin was sweaty, though she knew she was wearing a pair of shorts and a spaghetti sleeved top. The car was stuffy; no windows were open and she was sure there was no air con on, though the car must have had it. The car was defiantly filled with people from the heat, she assumed that. They were all being silent, everyone but the man she sat by. His hand left her shoulder, leaving her to sigh out.

"Dmitri, open a Goddamn window," he ordered. "She's going to die from overheating before we take her back."

"I don't take orders," the man almost snapped.

Though she was sure he wouldn't open the window, she heard the humming of the one next to her opening slowly. The wind blew into the car, brushing her hair in all sorts of directions. It cooled down her sweating skin, something so relieving and soothing to her. She finally found herself relaxing, though she wasn't sure whether it was because of the cooling wind or the drug the stranger had injected her with.

"How is Number 333 doing?" the same voice asked almost mockingly.

"She's ..." she felt the man's eyes return to her face. "I gave her the drug."

"Good," the voice replied.

Her eyes were shutting, though she was telling them not to. Fear emitted her body as she tried not to sleep. God knew what they were to do to her during her slumber. She knew her body wasn't tired: it was the drug that he had given her. Fighting was useless, the simple liquid was working her body for her, quickly sending her into a deep slumber.

With Nirvana's racing heart, trembling hands and shaking body she pushed the button to open up her room. Her hair was damp from the rain, her body dressed in the usual cloths she wore: a pair of clean dark blue jeans and a long sleeved, red button shirt. The collar was straight, with the top button undone in a casual way. Her beautiful plum hair was straight as a pin, pulled back with a gorgeous butterfly clip, leaving the sides and her fringe loose to cover parts of her wet face. The cross was wrapped around her neck as usual, another cross on her index finger on her left hand, matching the necklace. In the room, she shut the door quickly, finally catching breath. Her heart was pounding faster then it ever had done before, and whilst she thought the car ride would be a simple procedure it was one of the hardest things she had ever done that was meant to be so straightforward. All she had to do was to sit, perhaps provide the other girl a little bit of support but there was a horrible feeling lingering off the girl's skin. It was so strong; if it had been water, Nirvana surely would've drowned from the strong emotion. It was hard to define, with the mix of dread, fear, hatred and the all round feeling to _get away_ from her as soon as possible. Moving her hand to her chest, she could feel her heart pounding hard against her ribs, her breathing a little quicker then normal as she looked up to the ceiling of her still light room. She stared, trying to think of calming things in the room. Her back pressed against the door, she slowly let herself slide down it until she was firmly on the ground, leaning both her back and head on the door for support.

_Pitter patter, pit, pat, pit pat …_ the rain hitting against the dark window was a good thing. Closing her eyes gently, she focused all her mind on the rain, the gentle noise it made as it pushed against the window, the thought of it landing on her hot skin. God, that car ride had been hot ... where they collected the girl from was a heated place; something Nirvana didn't like nor was she dressed for. The girl _was_ alright, what with her shorts and spaghetti sleeved top, which Nirvana was sure was her nightwear. No, she had to stop thinking about that girl – she wouldn't let her get in her mind. That car ride _wasn't_ her problem, and though she had _bad_ feelings about her she was sure it was because she was sleepy. Yeah that had to have been it, for what time was it? Half four in the morning? Yeah, that time seemed right.

Just the rain, it was her and the rain. God, she badly wanted to go out into that beautiful rain, perhaps visit those fishes or wake up Albedo and drag him to have a walk with her. Sure he'd hate her for it, but he was always so entertaining. She breathed deeply, feeling her heart beat slowly back down to its normal pace as she continued to think of the rain, rain, rain. As her mind began to get more involved in the rain, she was oblivious to the little shuffle off sheets in the room, joined by the little moan of an awakening, slightly confused child.

He rubbed his eyes gently, slowly awakening in the well light room. It took him a few moments to become conscious he was still in Nirvana's bedroom, having fallen asleep. Groggily, he awoke, moaning a little as that weird sensation overcame him, signing a peaceful, light sleep. He felt thick bed sheets on his body, which he moved away a little with his legs. Bed sheets? He couldn't remember sliding into the sheets intentionally, had _she_ put him there, as well as put his head on the soft pillow? He stretched his arms out in front of him as he blinked a few times, waking his mind up properly. Once fully awake, he pushed himself to sit up properly, yawning gently and covering his mouth as he did so. Pushing the sheets off his body, he looked with confusion around the room, until his emerald gems met with Nirvana, sitting on the floor, her eyes shut with her back resting against the door.

'_Has she been sleeping there? And I've been in __**her**__ bed?'_ a wave of guilt overcame him as he stared at her, blinking hard as if he were dreaming. He watched her breathing deeply, her chest rising and falling at quite a fast past. He couldn't look past the almost distraught look on her sleeping face. Frowning a little, he breathed deeply, gathering courage to speak to her and get over how awkward it would be.

"Nirvana, are you okay?" he was about to say more when her head suddenly snapped to him, and her body convulsed in pure fear. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Nigredo, completely taken back at the raven headed boy sitting on her bed. When she had jumped, he had jumped in turn too, not expecting the sudden movement from her. Carefully, unable to search for words, he watched as her skin slowly stopped trembling, but her breathing had increased.

After a long, overdrawing moment of the two children silently staring at each other, Nirvana's lips curled upwards into a smile, trembling as she began to laugh at her own stupidity. "I'm sorry," she laughed. "I forgot you were here. Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," he nodded, a little unsure of why she was laughing. Ignoring it (she laughed at pretty much anything during their time together so Nigredo was completely dumb to what it could be this time) he opening his mouth, speaking. "Why am I in your bed?" he was about to ask another question too; 'Have you been sleeping there the whole time?' when he noticed her cloths had been changed and her hair had been neatly done.

'_She wasn't looking like that last time I remembered … and why is she so … pale?'_ it was true. Her usual olive skin tone had changed to a pale white, almost similar to Albedo's. Her skin was quietly trembling and slowly the smile began to fade, leaving her face almost emotionless, though her eyes were dismal. He could _sense_ it – there was an unavoidable emotion of panic in her heart.

Nodding a little, as if she was reminding herself of his question, Nirvana answered. "I didn't want to wake you, so I laid you down. There isn't a problem is there?" her voice was shaking, though she was trying to keep it even. _'When that girl hears my voice, she'll take it out on me. Damn … why did I need to speak? Hold it together, come on Nirv.'_

"Did you go somewhere?" he asked her gently. He moved onto the end of the bed, getting properly out of the sheets. He felt a little awkward being in her bed whilst she stayed on the wooden, probably cold floor.

"Ah … I …" she bit her lip. Her mind was whizzing around, figuring out what to say to Nigredo. She couldn't tell him she had been to the outside world; that wouldn't be fair on the poor boy. She hated the fact her pictures of the outside, much better world, were in front of him; teasing him. She cleared her throat, looking down to her cloths. "Your father hates my attire, do you know that?"

"Well, I had insisted you wear the U.R.T.V uniform …" Nigredo said. "That way he wouldn't be angry."

Nirvana looked at him, her face changed from one of dismay to one of a firm glare. "You sound like him too many Goddamn times, Nigredo."

His name was like a stab to his heart. No Ni, no NiNi or no deary (a name she would call _everyone_ if she was being comforting or in an extra friendly mood). She had spoken sourly, though her tone was not what had caused him to look away, his face looking saddened as he stared at the sheets, taking in their every interesting detail. She was _right_. Nigredo did often butter up to his father, saying things that would please him. Biting his lip, he heard her standing to her feet, noting in the corner of her eye how she still limped. _'I should convince her to get Nano Technology in the morning …'_ he thought to himself as he tried to take his mind off her words. He kept his face emotionless, not letting the girl who had become one of his close friends look into his emotions.

"Calm me down," she suddenly said, sitting beside him. She was so close; her leg was almost touching his. He could now sense the trembling fear emitting from her body, which may have caused her to glare to angrily at him. He looked at her pale face, her shaking skin and sighed deeply. He wasn't _meant_ to do this of course, and he didn't _like_ playing with peoples emotions but if it _helped_ her, he'd do it.

"Alright, come here," he said, though there wasn't much closer she could get to him. He turned his body around to face her, crossing his legs. His knees were touching her soft thighs, but he didn't care. All he cared about was the fact soon his hand was placed gently on her chest, feeling her beating heart under his palm and fingers. Something he had only felt a few mere times before; each time he touched her made him more nervous, and he couldn't help but gulp, taking a few moments to calm down before putting the other one on her forehead.

She shut her eyes gently, his hands beginning to glow with a gentle, small, green light. The light was pale, yet beautiful. The strange energy emitted from his ivory, sinking into her olive skin. The energy swept into her flesh, soothing her heart, and her head: controlling her emotions weakly. He tried to use as little as his power as he could, not wanting to take full control over Nirvana. He didn't wish to fuel her with fake emotions; rather he wanted to sooth her. Emerald eyes watched her gently as she slowly began to stop trembling, her face returning to its original shade and he could feel her heart slowing down under his fingers. Too bad he couldn't say the same for himself. He was trembling, his heart racing faster (something he was quite used to) and his face had flushed to a shade of bright red.

Without opening her eyes, she spoke. Her voice was soft, showing how his powers were working. "NiNi, don't act so nervous."

It wasn't shocking Nirvana could pick up on his emotions without her looking at him. No, it wasn't the fact she was good at sensing peoples thoughts and feelings. If anything, that was one of her few inabilities. Ever since the second month they had known each other, when they had become so close a day didn't pass without them hanging around with each other, she had begun to pick up on his emotions. If he was sad, she could tell, even if it was just faintly. Usually, she didn't have enough of a hunch to act or say anything about them, but during these times, when he used his power on her, she suddenly became ever so sensitive to his emotions, to his thoughts and feelings. Her next sentence didn't surprise him either, but it caused his cheeks to burn brighter.

"I didn't know your nickname made you so happy," she smiled.

"Well … I …" he was defiantly stunned about what to say. Clearing his throat, he knew she would be able to pick up on some of his emotions, so he figured he may as well speak. "No one has ever given me a nickname before. Are you calm now?"

Gently nodded, her voice was soft. "Yes, thank you."

He _loved _when she laughed, especially if it was _him_ that caused that musical song to leave her lips. He loved how her eyes magically shone brighter then they already were, how her laughter was so soft yet so carefree and happy; how her rosy lips curled inwards, parting widely to show off her pure white, straight, teeth. He even loved how she curled her fingers into gentle fists, or when she brought her hand up to her trembling lips if she giggled. This time she had curled her fingers into fists, her body gently bent foreword as she turned her head to him, letting him see her bright face as she happily laughed. He himself had been laughing gently, but each time he looked into her yellow eyes, seeing that jolt of happiness in her emotions, he couldn't help but widen his smile, and get a contagious laugh from her. Hell, any time she laughed he laughed, unless he was too confused. Even if it was just a small chuckle, whilst she had properly laughed, he'd still do it. Her happiness, her bright hopeful and free spirited heart was what made him become attached to her so much. Her cheerfulness always gave him a strange contentment.

Her laugh was happy as they entered the canteen, her head leaning close to Nigredo's as she giggled, making him smile unconsciously. His eyes were set on her as they walked; his arm strangely wanting to hook with hers, yet his mind not letting him. Slowly, but somehow quickly, the smile on her face died down and so did the usual happy laughter. Her steps slowed to a halt, making Nigredo stop a few steps ahead of her: his emerald gems still firmly placed on her face with his brows narrowed. "Nirvana?" he managed to ask; curious about what had made her freeze so.

When he gained no answer, he looked to the direction she was staring in and found himself fixated. Sitting at a table near the back of the room was a girl, around their age of course. Twisting a black straw around her fingers, her soft green eyes looked down at the plate of food she had: her face showing she wasn't the least bit interested. Her hair was shoulder length, a shade of chocolate brown with honey blonde highlights on her feathered sides. Her bangs ran across her forehead, the ends of her chocolate hair gently caressing the rim of her eye. From the grey and purple uniform she wore, it was more then obvious she was a U.R.T.V: a strange looking one if that. A Varient? Nigredo thought this over. No, she couldn't be that. The only female Varient was the orange headed one. Oh what had her name been? Citrine, yes, it was Citrine.

"Who …?" he managed to ask; looking back at his friend whose face had gained one of fear. Nirvana's feet slipped back; her shoulders hunched slightly as her eyes widened.

"Number 333," she breathlessly whispered. "Vent L'Eglise."

"Vent L'Eglise?" he repeated; frowning a little. "It does sound familiar to your name, doesn't it?"

"Don't speak anything of it," she almost hissed, her eyes finally looking at Nigredo. They were still plastered in fear and Nigredo found himself taking her hand with his own, squeezing it comfortingly. Nirvana looked down at their joined hands, taking a step foreword to Nigredo.

"There's no need to be frightened, Nirv," he smiled. Gently, he flicked up her chin with his spare hand. His finger was slim, yet stronger then she had imagined and in an instant she was looking up at his relaxing face with her yellow eyes. "You're strong, and I'm here. Vent won't do anything to harm you."

"But Nini," she whispered, standing so close to him she had forgotten about the canteen they stood in. "I…" her voice trailed off as she looked Nigredo in the eye, noticing how he held more feelings then simple worry or concern for the girl. He was mesmerized on her: looking deep into her eyes, and she could almost see a hint of desire as he moved a little closer. His finger, she noticed, was still gently pushed on her chin.

"You two really ought to get a room!"

Gasping in union, the pair of them turned their heads to where the voice had come from. With a devious grin on his face, Rubedo looked at Nigredo and Nirvana, standing a few feet in front of them. And stood beside the redheaded U.R.T.V, as he always would be, was Albedo: his purple gems looking at them both. He seemed a little irritated for some reason, and as Nirvana looked back at Nigredo, realizing how close they really were, she suddenly took a few steps back, tearing her hand from his; her face flushing bright red.

Rubedo couldn't help but laugh, running a hand through his bright red hair. Nigredo was still a little stunned by the sudden appearance of his brothers. He too had forgotten about the canteen and the real world as he had been staring deep into Nirvana's unusual eyes; just staring. "R-Rubedo."

"Good morning, Rubedo," Nirvana cheerfully greeted, ignoring his comment he had made. She nodded her head as she gave a wide, warm, smile and then looked to Albedo. "Morning Albedo."

"Stop looking at me with those eyes," he snapped, turning his head from her. "It makes me _sick_."

"Albedo!" Nigredo gasped as he glared at his brother's rudeness. With a sharp nudge, Rubedo scolded him for it.

"Don't be so rude," he glared. "How many times have I told you not to say anything horrible? Seriously Albedo, what's gotten into you?"

"Where were you, Nigredo?" Albedo suddenly asked; his purple glowing gems shooting up to Nigredo who jumped slightly at the sudden change. "Where were you last night?"

"I … I fell asleep in Nirv's room," he managed to stutter. Both Nirvana and Nigredo felt their cheeks burn up, as if someone had put their heads in an oven.

"_Sick_!" he hissed furiously, making shivers run up Nirvana's spine.

After a few moments of long silence, Nirvana slid her hand up Nigredo's arm; stopping at his elbow. Her fingers wrung around his toned arm, holding tightly onto him. She could feel his muscle move slightly under the thick, soft material of the U.R.T.V uniform. He too could feel the tremble of her fingers, causing him to look at her with concerned eyes. He was just about to ask her what the matter was, when she spoke first; her voice a low, desperate whisper. "_Nigredo …_"

He didn't need to be told what was wrong. His emerald gems moved across to where she was looking and he saw the girl, Vent, staring at them. Or more precisely: staring at _Nirvana_. Her green eyes were staring at the yellow eyes of Nirvana with a strange emotion of curiosity and almost anger. The eyes were cold as they moved to her arm that was tightly wrapped around Nigredo. As her eyes were set on them, she held him closer: wrapping her arm tighter around the silent boy. Her eyes sharply snapped back to Nirvana's face, making her jump ever so slightly.

Rubedo took a step foreword, breaking the silence. "Who's that girl?" he asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you …" Nirvana quietly said, her eyes still not leaving the girl. Soothingly, Nigredo ran his fingers across the skin on her soft wrist, trying his best to keep her calm.

"She a cousin to you?" Albedo asked. Nirvana noticed how all the spite had drained from his voice: how or why she didn't know.

"No," she answered just as politely as he had asked. "U.R.T.V number 333; ran away years prior to me coming to the Institute. A U.R.T.V with her own mind, own powers and own … looks."

"She looks … like Sakura …" Rubedo couldn't help but breathlessly comment.

"Now, now, Rubedo, don't cheat on your girlfriend," Albedo teased, pulling his brother back a few steps.

'_You're starting to sound like my father now …'_ Nigredo's whispered to Nirvana through the mental link. She stayed staring, as if she hadn't heard his alluring voice in her head and silently replied.

'_Quite a cruel thing to say, no?'_ she asked, sliding her arm gently from around Nigredo's. Suddenly, in one sharp movement, he had wrapped his arm around his: preventing her from tearing away from him. She stared at him, eyes wide open in shock.

'_You're not getting away that easily …'_ he playfully said.

Nirvana kept staring, her mouth open as she tried to breath. Her eyes were clouded with confusion and the playful smile that had once been on Nigredo's face disappeared. His arm slowly unraveled from hers; his cheeks burned bright red as he freed her from his grip. He too seemed stunned by his actions, making him take a step backwards; away from her as she let her arm hover slowly in the air. Her skin was tingling, her eyes were still wide but her lungs had managed to inhale a deep breath, which she had needed. Her mind was whizzing around, unsure and totally stunned by what had happened. Since when did Nigredo act so … playful? And why would he hold so tightly onto her like he had done. Clearing her throat, she looked down to the floor, letting her plum locks cover her red face. Nigredo did the same in turn, shuffling from one foot to another: his hand scratching the back of his neck as he parted his lips, speaking quickly and shakily.

"I'm so sorry, Nirvana, I don't know … I …" he was lost for words: not being able to explain his own stupid actions. He struggled, but he managed to bring his striking emerald eyes up to look at her reddened face. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"_Breakfast?"_ lifting her eyes up, she stared at him, a little taken back by the randomness. Then after staring, she shook her head in an apology for her rudeness and answered. "Just some toast … maybe some cereal too …"

"Okay," he nodded, about to walk away when he looked at her again. "And to drink? Orange juice?"

"Yes … please, thank you," she nodded, smiling gratefully. She felt her wrist being grabbed by someone, not letting her watch Nigredo walk away. She snapped her head to whoever grabbed her, only to see Albedo looking at her with his soft looks again. Unexpectedly, he shoved a lilac coloured beret on her head, pushing down her head.

She lifted her hands to her head as he roughly pushed it onto her on. "Ah, Albedo!" she cried, fighting with him to keep the beret off her head. The beret was beautiful, with a darker purple ribbon running around the hem and falling gently on the side. The ribbon stopped above her shoulders, and was made of pure silk. Once their little brawl had been over and Albedo succeeded in getting the hat on Nirvana's head, she ended up tearing it off to neaten back up her hair and then slid it back on. "And you found this where?"

"In our room," he smirked, taking her by her wrist again. She knew he had been referring to his, Rubedo and Nigredo's own quarters, but it still struck her as odd: when was the last time she had been in their room? That beret had been missing for a good week and a half, and during that time she hadn't been in their room. Not once.

Without resistance, Albedo pulled her to a table, and unfortunately for her, it was a table close to Vent's. She firmly glared at the white headed U.R.T.V as he grinned, showing how it had been a total plan. She tried to avoid the face of Vent as her eyes glided across the cafeteria, spotting Rubedo and Nigredo carrying food between them; a larger pile in Rubedo's hands (he was _always_ hungry). But, she couldn't hold it for long. Her eyes met with her green ones, and in an instant she was frozen. Vent was staring at her again. Her face was emotionless, but Nirvana had such a cold feeling emitting from the girl she couldn't help but shiver furiously.

Having sensed this, Albedo snapped his head behind him, to see the girl sitting there; staring at Nirvana. His purple gems gained that usual crazy look as he glanced back to Nirvana. "I'm gonna go speak to her. To see if she's like us or not."

"No, Albedo, don't!" she quietly cried, watching as he stood up. She didn't want to get anymore attention drawn to herself so she stayed seated, her eyes looking down to the table.

"What's he doing?" Rubedo asked as he put his tray onto the table. He took off a bowl of cereal and a plate of toast and put them in Albedo's place. The rest; much larger portions of the same food, were for himself as Nirvana had guessed.

Nigredo placed a small bowl of fruity cereal in front of Nirvana, also handing her a small white plate with three slices of toast on it. She smiled, the fresh smells entering her nose. "I got you the strawberry one," he said as he sat down, putting a spoon into her bowl. "Was the okay?"

"Perfect," she smiled, looking to him. He sat beside her as usual; close enough for him to smell her fresh scent of lilies. "Thanks."

Albedo glanced over to his brothers, wanting to eat, yet holding the feeling back. He was so curious about this girl, would she be a disgusting U.R.T.V or would she really be normal like him, Rubedo and Nigredo? God he hoped so. He didn't want another little _annoying_ girl around like Sakura or Nirvana. Well, Nirvana wasn't too bad – Albedo could handle her even though she had _obviously stolen_ one of his treasured brothers away. The yellow topaz girl had stolen away his emerald and there was only him, the amethyst, and the ruby left and he was slipping away from his fingers quickly because of that Sakura. He only met the girl once, but he knew she _liked_ Rubedo more then she let on. It was in her _eyes_ and her _tone_ and Albedo _despised _that. He despised _her_. And this girl … number 333 looked like her. It took him a lot of strength to slide on the seat opposite her; stare into her eyes, which was just like staring into the eyes of Sakura. They were the same shade … the same Goddamn shade of perfectly _dull_ green. Yeah, this girl was dull – her eye colour was just a cover up. He smirked as he thought of how stupid and idiotic the girl would be, just like the other U.R.T.V's.

And maybe he could take his anger out on _her_ if he ever wanted to hit Sakura. Oh, yes, that would be great! Dmitri surely wouldn't mind, neither would Rubedo and Nigredo was too caught up in being flirtatious, he wouldn't notice. The girl, Vent, stared at Albedo as he stopped himself from sniggering to himself, unsure of what to do.

Eventually, Albedo pulled himself together and looked at the girl again. "My name is Albedo, number 333."

Number 333 bit her lip; a glare set on her face, which Albedo had not expected. "My name is Vent L'Eglise and I'd rather you wouldn't address me by my number. I do not count myself as a U.R.T.V like the rest of you."

Oh this girl was good! Okay, he wouldn't be able to treat her as an emotionless doll, but oh well. Improvise, improvise, improvise. He opened his mouth to speak, when she spoke, cutting him off.

"Who might that girl be?" she asked, nodding towards Nirvana. Albedo had to turn his head to see who she was talking about, but he knew before he saw her. Nirvana was gently munching into a piece of toast, a few crumbs falling to her lap. She smirked, wiping them away as she swallowed a mouthful of water. From where he was, he could see Nigredo's eyes darting to her to steal a glance at her face every now and then.

"Nirvana …" he replied, clenching his fists as he saw the closeness between her and Nigredo. Nigredo had picked some strawberries out of his bowl of cereal with his spoon, and let them fall gently into hers. He turned his head quickly away, feeling the disgust run into his stomach as he angrily stared down at the table. Vent looked at him, playing with her straw again casually.

"You don't like them, huh?" she asked. "Which one? Him?" there was a pause of silence. "Her?" again another pause and Vent's lips curled into a smile. "Oh, I see. You hate _them_. The intimacy and all that."

"I wouldn't call it intimacy," he almost snapped. "More like … stupidness …"

"Stupidness?" she laughed. "Is that even a word, Albedo?"

"You act too much like a human!" Albedo suddenly yelled, slamming his fists onto the table. This caused everyone in the cafeteria to turn their heads, yet Vent was unaffected by his out burst. Instead she just calmly watched him as he grew angry. "You're supposed to be a stupid old model! Not what you are. You're not meant to have feelings, or be clever! I hate how you look!"

Rubedo was quick to be beside's Albedo. He grabbed his brother by the shoulders and with strength pulled him to his feet. Angrily, he glared at Albedo, holding the urge to hit his snapping brother in the face with his shaking fist. "Leave her alone." He told him, pulling him away.

"She looks just like her," Albedo yelled, though had no choice but to be dragged away by Rubedo. "That's the only reason you give a damn! It's because she looks like that little useless girl, Sakura! The one who can't do anything for herself. She's _useless_ Rubedo."

"Shut up!" Rubedo yelled, suddenly scrunching his hand into a fist. In a split second he sent it into the jaw of his brother. The force of his hit sent his younger brother to his the table beside him, making him groan as the pain came inside of him.

Vent had quickly stood to her feet as she stared at Albedo. Her emotionless face swiftly turned into a glare as she stared at the white headed boy. "I'm _different_ to Sakura. God, I might look like her but we're both completely different people! Look!" she yelled, bringing her sleeves up. Scattered across her left arm were scars, in the shape of religious crosses just like the one Nirvana wore around her neck. Albedo watched as Vent ran out of the cafeteria, getting away from all the hustle and bustle.

"You're an idiot," Rubedo yelled at his cowering brother. "What's gotten into you lately, Albedo? You have to stop snapping at people like that. You did it to Nirv earlier!"

"But … Rubedo …" his voice cracked as he tried to hold back the tears. He had slid to the floor, holding his swelling jaw in his hand. His body was trembling as he stared at his angry brother, not wanting him to hate him anymore.

"I don't wanna hear it, Albedo!" he yelled. "I want you to learn how to control your temper and not act like an immature child all the time."

"Rubedo …" Nirvana gently called, standing to her feet. "Come on, let's just eat, okay? You and Albedo need your energy for the day – starting it off like this won't do anyone any good."

Stubbornly, Rubedo looked from Albedo to the table, back to Albedo again. After contemplating something, he held out his hand to his brother; his face softened as he helped him to his feet. Gently, he patted him on the back, leading him to the table where his food lay. Nirvana sat back down on her seat, taking a strawberry and silently eating it. Her eyes looked back to where Vent had been sitting, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of fear. Sighing deeply, she ate, feeling awkward in the silence.

"You should go see Vent," she suddenly said, glancing at Albedo. He didn't look at her, but once she called his name, his head shot to her and his face was confused. "You should speak to her. To find out if she's okay."

"You think so …?" he asked, looking to his red headed brother. "I don't want to. She's …" he was trying to be careful with his words, but the silence finished his sentence for him.

"Vent is nothing like Sakura," Nirvana said. There was a strange grin on her face as she looked down at her cereal. "I think you two may get along …"


End file.
